Concealed fixture cabinet



Nov. 6, 1962 A. G. MAGRAUTH CONCEALED FIXTURE CABINET Filed Aug. 50, 1960 INVENTOR. find/6W 6 Mq or'au /7 BY Ala/'6' and Cartiss .ETTORNE Y5 United States Patent Office 3,062,606 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 3,062,606 CONCEALED FIXTURE CABlNET Andrew G. Magrauth, Fox Run Road,

New Canaan, Conn. Filed Aug. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 52,897 Claims. (Cl. 312-41) The present invention relates to cabinets and, more particularly, to cabinets or wall chests of the type generally known as concealed-fixture cabinets or chests, socalled because the entire structure, except for the door and door framing, extends into the wall space of a building with the door and framing substantially flush with the interior wall surface.

Heretofore, concealed-fixture cabinets of the type referred to have been made with the door hinged at one side to the cabinet frame to swing outwardly and laterally in a horizontal plane; or else the door has been hinged at its lower edge to swing outwardly and downwardly into a horizontal position where it is stopped and supported in a horizontal position as by suitable link connections with the cabinet frame.

Moreover, in such cabinets as known heretofore, the fixture concealed therein when the cabinet door is closed is usually mounted on the door and is carried with it when it swings open. This arrangement has the disadvantage in that the door hinge carries the entire weight of both the door and the fixture together with whatever is supported by the fixture. The door hinge is thus objected to excessive wear and the possibility that the hinge may become sprung or broken; and this condition is further aggravated by the involuntary habit of the user taking hold of the door and pulling or bearing down on the same. Also, with a door which opens downward, objects which are too heavy to be reasonably supported by the structure as designed for its intended purpose only may be placed thereon and subject the parts to unwarranted strain.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate the foregoing disadvantages and defects of prior cabinet construction and provide an arrangement which includes what may be called an overhead type of cabinet door.

Another object of the invention is to obviate the possibility of damaging the door hinge structure in any way which might weaken or break it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cabinet of the concealed-fixture type wherein the door acts as a cover to close the opening of the cabinet and its hinge structure does not even have to support the weight of the door.

To this end, and in its broader aspects, the invention provides a cabinet body adapted to be concealed within the wall space of -a building wherein the door and door framing are substantially flush with the surface of the wall, the door is hinged at its upper edge to the top wall of the cabinet body to swing outwardly and upwardly into open position, and the concealed fixture is mounted inside the cabinet on a wall thereof and con nected to the door in such manner that when the door is opened it will act through the connection to swing the fixture outwardly through the cabinet opening to present the article or articles carried by the fixture in a readily accessible position outside the cabinet.

More specifically, the door is hinged to the cabinet at its top edge to swing outwardly and upwardly and the fixture is pivotally mounted on the bottom wall of the cabinet to tilt or rock forward into a position where it extends through the doorway of the cabinet and presents the object carried thereby in an accessible position. A rigid link pivotally connected at one end to the door and at the other end to the fixture connects the two so that they move in unison when the door is opened and closed, and the fixture carries a stop or abutment which, when the door is fully opened, banks against the connecting link and acts both as a stop to limit the extent to which the door may be opened and, at the same time, utilizes the weight of the fixture to hold the door in open position, thereby relieving the hinge of the full weight of the door.

It is a feature of the present invention that the arrangement thereof provides an attractive concealed-fixture cabinet which is attractive and, because of its simplicity of structure, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.

in the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form and obviously many modifications and varitaions thereof may be made which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fore and aft vertical section through the cabinet, the full lines showing the door closed and the support structure housed within the cabinet and the dot and dash lines showing the positions of the parts when the door is open;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the cabinet, partly in section and partly broken away to show the construction; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

As shown in the drawings, the cabinet 10 has a body portion comprising a box-like frame structure having a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, side walls 13 and 14, and a rear wall 15, the structure being open at the front. Formed integrally therewith, or welded or otherwise attached thereto, is a framing 16 which extends outwardly from the cabinet walls at the front edges thereof. When the cabinet is placed in an opening in the wall space of a building, the rear edges 17 of the framing 16 seat firmly against the surface of the building wall, thus framing the opening into the cabinet.

The opening into the cabinet is covered by a door 19 which fits within the framing 16 with sufficient clearance along its four sides, as at 20, so that it may swing freely on its hinge 21 for opening and closing. Preferably, the door is pivotally mounted on a pair of brackets 22 fastened as by rivets 23 one to each of the side walls 13 and 14 near the upper front edges thereof. The brackets 22 are formed each with an arm 24 offset as at 25 from a plate portion 26 thereof for a purpose which will be explained later. Each arm 24 is formed with an upright portion 27 which terminates in a rounded end portion 28. A drill hole is formed in the portion 27 to accommodate a rivet 30 by which the door is mounted and fastened thereto, the rivet having a close but movable fit in the drill hole to provide a pivotal connection which permits the swinging movement of the door.

The door 19 is a double-walled structure, so made for rigidity, comprising a front wall 35 from each edge of which a flange 36 extends rearwardly and terminates in a turned-in edging 37 which makes for a finished structure devoid of sharp or rough edges. The flange arrangement provides the dimension of depth for the door and also a means whereby the arms 27 of the brackets 22 may be received and attached in side-by-side relation to the flange 36 by the rivets 30. With this arrangement, the door is pivotally mounted on the bracket 22 in a manner whereby it is free to swing outwardly and upwardly, the rounded ends 28 of the arms 27 providing a clearance for the free swinging movement, and in this connection it is pointed out that due to the fact that the arms 27 rise above the plate portion 26 of the brackets 22, the door flange 36 is free to move into the dotted line position 38 in back of the arms 27 when the door is in open position. When the door is in closed position, the offset 25 arrangement of the arms 27 provides a space between the arms and the side walls 13 and 14 to accommodate the portions of the flange 36 and 37 which extend along the side edges of the door panel 35.

In the present instance, a fixture is shown which comprises a support structure 41 in the form of a roll paper dispenser made of sheet metal and having a base 41 from the opposite ends of which a pair of arms 42 extend perpendicularly. Near their free ends, the arms are provided with means such as an aperture 43 to receive a roll support 44 on which the roll of paper is rotatably supported. The lower forward edges of the arms 42 are beveled as at 45 and each is formed with a drill hole 46 centered with respect to the junction of the bevel and the base 41. The drill holes 46 are adapted to receive a rod 47 extending therethrough and journaled in opposite side walls 13 and 14 of the cabinet, as at 48. The position of the rod 47 is such that a slight clearance 49 is provided between the forward edge of the base 41 and the bottom Wall 12 of the cabinet. With this arrangement, the support structure 40 is free to be rocked or tilted from the full line position in FIG. 1 to the dotted line position shown therein, whereby the free ends of the arms 42 and the roll of paper carried thereby are projected through the opening of the cabinet to a position beyond the framing 16, thus rendering the paper accessible for removal.

Provision is made so that upon opening the door 19, the support 40 will automatically be projected through the opening in the cabinet, or doorway, and this is accomplished by pivotally attaching one end of a rigid link 54 to a side flange 36 of the door, as at 51, and pivotally attaching the opposite end of the link 50, as at 52, to the support structure. As shown in the drawings, the link 50 is attached to the door flange at a point which is a short distance below the door hinge and the opposite end of the link is attached to the adjacent support arm 42 at a point upward and rearward from the anchoring pivot rod 47 approximately midway of the front and rear edges of the arm. Thus, as the door swings outward and upward its movement will act through the link 50 to rock or tilt the support structure 40 about the anchor rod 47, the bevel 45 providing SLIfi'lClfiHll clearance for the rocking movement. A stop plate or abutment 55 is secured, as by screws 56, to the support arm 42 in a relation to the connecting link 50 whereby it will abut against the top edge of the link, as shown in the dotted line position of the parts, to perform the dual function of limiting further movement of the door 19 and the support 40 and, at the same time, utilize the weight of the support and the paper roll carried thereby to hold the door in its open position. The return of the parts to their normal concealed condition is effected merely by pressing downward on the door 19, whereby the pressure is transmitted through the link 50 to the stop plate 55, against which it acts as a simple fulcrum lever to commence the rocking of the support structure 40, whereafter it acts by direct thrust to complete the rocking movement of the support structure.

The preferred embodiment shown and described herein is, as already stated, adapted for a concealed roll paper dispenser. However, the invention is not limited to such specific use and the support structure 49 may be adapted to support a tray, for example, so mounted therein as to maintain a horizontal position as the support rocks from concealed position to exposed position outside the cabinet. Furthermore, the support structure need not be mounted on the bottom Wall of the cabinet but can be mounted at its forward edge on a vertically extending hinge so as to swing outwardly in a horizontal plane, the connection between the door and support structure being readily modified to accomplish such result. While a concealed fixture cabinet of the type to which the present invention relates is generally thought of as a bathroom fixture, the cabinet of the present invention is not so limited. its use would be equally convenient in a room such as a kitchen, not only for roll paper toweling, wax paper and foil dispensing, but for the accommodation of many different articles handy for use in a kitchen but desirable to have concealed when not in use.

As already stated, the invention has been shown and described merely by way of example and in preferred form, and it is to be understood that it is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limita-- tions are set forth in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a cabinet structure, the combination of a frame structure formed with a top, bottom and side walls to provide an enclosure with an opening at one end, a decorative framing portion extending outwardly so as to circumscribe the periphery of said enclosure adjacent said opening, a door formed to fit within said framing and to cover said opening, a pair of brackets secured to said frame structure and disposed within the enclosure, one bracket being connected to each of said side walls near the upper inside corners of the frame structure adjacent said opening, and each bracket being formed with an arm extending parallel with and spaced from the adjacent wall of the frame structure and terminating in a rounded end, a rearwardly extending flange formed along the side and top edges of the door, means pivotally connecting each of said brackets to the adjacent side flange with the top flange overlying the rounded ends of the bracket arms in slightly spaced relation thereto, whereby the top flange can move relative to said arms, a support structure mounted on the frame structure within the enclosure, fixed pivot means for mounting said support structure to said frame structure, said pivot means being connected to the bottom forward edge of said support structure for providing a rotational movement thereof, and a link member pivotally connected at one end directly to said support member and at the other end directly to a side flange of the door, whereby the movement of the door to open position acts through said link to tilt the support structure forward to a position where the upper part thereof extends outwardly through said opening.

2. A wall cabinet roll paper dispenser unit comprising, in combination, a cabinet body portion providing an enclosure formed by top, bottom, side and back walls and opened at the front, a door covering said open front, a hinge connection securing the door to said side walls adjacent the top wall, a support for roll paper formed with a base and opposite side arms extending substantially perpendicular from said base, means for supporting a roll of paper between said arms, a fixed pivot connection securing said support between said side walls, said pivot connection being fastened to the arms of said support adjacent the base of the support near its front edge, and a link pivotally connected at one end directly to the door a short distance below the hinge connection of said door and the other end of said link being directly connected to an arm of said support a short distance above its junction with the base and rearward of its front edge, whereby the opening movement of the door acts through the link connection to swing the support on its hinge and project the arms of said support through the open front of the cabinet.

3. A combination as in claim 2, including an abutment secured to the support arm to which the said link is connected in a position to bank against the link when the arm is projected through the open front of the cabinet and through hte link to utilize the weight of support to hold the door in open position.

4. A cabinet comprising a top, bottom and connecting side walls to define an open end enclosure and said enclosure being adapted to be recessed into an upright wall,

a frame circumscribing the walls of said enclosure for positioning said enclosure within said recess, a door for closing the open end of said enclosure, fixed hinge means connected to the side walls adjacent the top of said enclosure about which said door is pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis between open and closed positions, a U shaped article support disposed within said enclosure, said support including a base having integrally connecting arms; fixed pivot means for connecting said support to the side walls of said enclosure for movement between retracted inoperative position in which said support is housed within said enclosure and protracted operative position in which said support is rotated so as to have its arms extend through the open end of said enclosure, link means connecting said door to said support so that said support rotates about said pivot means between operative protracted and inoperative retracted position as said door is moved between open and closed positions, and stop means connected on one of the arms of said support, said stop means being positioned to abut against the link when the door is opened to limit the movement of both the door and said support, and whereby the weight of said support and article adapted to be carried thereby is transmitted through said stop means to said link to exert a downward force component thereon for holding the door in open position and thereby minimize the stresses on said hinge means.

5. A cabinet comprising a top, bottom and connecting side walls to define an open end enclosure adapted to be recessed into an opening in an upright wall, a frame circumscribing the walls of said enclosure for positioning said enclosure within said recess, a door for closing the open end of said enclosure, fixed hinge means connected to the side walls adjacent the top of said enclosure about which said door pivots between open and closed position about a horizontal axis, a U shaped article support disposed within said enclosure, said support including a base having integrally connecting arms, fixed pivot means for connecting said support to the side walls of said enclosure for movement between retracted inoperative position wherein said support is housed wholly within said enclosure and protracted operative position in which said support is rotated so as to have its arms extend outwardly through the open end of said enclosure, link means connecting said door to said support so that said support rotates between operative protracted and inoperative retracted position as said door is moved between open and closed positions, said link being pivotally connected at one end directly to the door a short distance below the hinge connection of said door, and the other end of said link being pivotally connected directly to the arm of said support a short distance above the base thereof and a short distance rearwardly of the front edge of said arms, and stop means connected on the arms of said support, said stop means being positioned to abut against the link when the door is opened to limit the movment of both the door and support, and the weight of said support and article adapted to be carried thereby being transmitted through said stop means to said link so as to exert a downward force component thereon for holding the door in open position and thereby minimize the stresses on said door hinge means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,639 Heyward Oct. 29, 1895 2,146,038 West Feb. 7, 1939 2,295,368 Suomala Sept. 8, 194-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 715,156 Great Britain Sept. 8, 1954 

